This invention relates to a blood pressure monitoring device and specifically relates to an improved cuff for a sphygmomanometer and a method of manufacturing the same.
The measurement of blood pressure is a strong tool in the diagnosis of many medical conditions and diseases, for example heart disease. The measurement of blood pressure is performed as part of a standard physical examination and the blood pressure of seriously ill patients is monitored on a very frequent basis. The blood pressure of a patient is usually determined by the use of a sphygmomanometer. The sphygmomanometer is used by wrapping an inflatable cuff around an arm or leg. The cuff is inflated by a pneumatic bulb that is connected to the cuff by a tube or tubes. The cuff is inflated to provide a certain amount of pressure on the artery in the arm or leg, typically just enough pressure to restrict the blood flow in a major artery in the arm or leg. The health care provider utilizes a stethoscope to listen for blood flow in the artery while the cuff is slowly deflated. The cuff is deflated by allowing air to slowly flow out of the tube. The health care provider hears the blood flow resume while simultaneously reading a gauge on the sphygmomanometer which has predetermined pressure measurements thereon. The pressure in the cuff is continuously reduced until the health care provider can no longer hear the blood flow. The health care provider thereby determines the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the patient.
There are numerous configurations of blood pressure cuffs that are known in the art, including the cuff described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,830 to Duffy et al., which describes a polyurethane coated nylon sheet folded medially to form the pressure cuff. The urethane coated surface forms the inner surface of the inflation chamber. A hook and loop fastener assembly is fused to the cuff and an inflation fitting is also fused to the interior of the pressure chamber.
Another blood pressure cuff configuration is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,782 to Garrett, which describes a disposable cuff and method of production. Garrett discloses a disposable medical pressure cuff that includes one side made from a flexible non-porous plastic sheet and the other side made from a woven fabric sheet that presents a fleecy surface to provide comfort when the cuff is in use.
The methods of manufacture and the resulting configurations that are known in the art have some disadvantages. For example, the plasticized materials that are used to manufacture some of the cuffs present a clammy, uncomfortable feel to the patient. Fleece type disposables are expensive to produce and to any users who must constantly replace. In addition, the configurations of some of the components that are found on the cuffs also tend to make manufacturing the cuffs more burdensome and therefore more expensive. An additional problem that exists with blood pressure cuffs is biological cross-contamination between patients due to repeated use on different patients.